Up to 18 inches of snow to fall in San Diego County mountains

The NWS says that up to one foot of snow will fall above the 4,000 foot level in San Diego County on Tuesday.

The NWS says that up to one foot of snow will fall above the 4,000 foot level in San Diego County on Tuesday.

Gary Robbins

A storm out of the Gulf of Alaska will blow ashore in San Diego County late Monday, dropping up to 18 inches of snow on mountain peaks and up to three-quarters of an inch of rain in some areas at and near the coast.

The system also will extend San Diego’s week-long cold spell. On Tuesday, the temperature won’t get above 57 degrees — which is almost 10 points below average.

“It doesn’t look like the temperatures will get above 60 anywhere in San Diego County on Tuesday,” said Brandt Maxwell, a forecaster at the National Weather Service. “That’s including the desert.”

It appears that the first showers will arrive after 10 p.m. on Monday. That will be followed by periods of significant rain that will last into Tuesday morning, complicating the morning commute. San Diego will receive between one-third and three-quarters of an inch of precipitation.

Forecasters also expect 12 to 18 inches of snow on Palomar Mountain, 8 to 12 inches on Mt. Laguna and 6 to 8 inches in Julian. Most of the snow will fall above the 4,000 foot level, but some could fall down to 2,000 to 2,500 feet.